Escondido family of sailing couple slain by pirates thanks military

The FBI released a statement Tuesday night from the family of Emily Elizabeth Sem, who lives in Escondido. Her father Scott Adam and his wife Jean, of Marina del Rey, owned the sailboat and were killed with Seattle couple Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle:

"Our loved ones were tragically taken from us and our hearts are broken. While we wish to grieve in private, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the brave men and women of the Navy and other military branches who risked their lives trying to save them. We would also like to thank the FBI and State Department for their swift and kind treatment of this matter. Our hearts also go out to the families of Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay. We cannot thank you all enough. In our time of loss, we ask the media to please respect our right to privacy and not contact us at this time. We do not anticipate issuing any further statements in this matter, at this time. God bless each and every one of you."

The 509-foot Sterett steams off Point Loma during maneuvers in 2010. The destroyer is among the Navy's newest ships, having been commissioned in 2008.
— USS Sterett

The 509-foot Sterett steams off Point Loma during maneuvers in 2010. The destroyer is among the Navy's newest ships, having been commissioned in 2008.
/ USS Sterett

In this June 11, 2005 photo provided by Joe Grande, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle are seen on a yacht in Bodega Bay, Calif. Macay and Riggle, both of Seattle, are reportedly on the yacht Quest, hijacked by Somali pirates Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 off the coast of Oman. The Quest's owners, Scott and Jean Adam of California, are also onboard. (AP Photo/Joe Grande) NO SALES— AP

In this June 11, 2005 photo provided by Joe Grande, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle are seen on a yacht in Bodega Bay, Calif. Macay and Riggle, both of Seattle, are reportedly on the yacht Quest, hijacked by Somali pirates Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 off the coast of Oman. The Quest's owners, Scott and Jean Adam of California, are also onboard. (AP Photo/Joe Grande) NO SALES
/ AP

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One of the pirates who helped take four American yachters hostage off Somalia fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the San Diego-based destroyer Sterett early Tuesday, while negotiations were underway to solve a high-seas stand-off. The grenade missed. But Defense Department officials said the pirates then shot and killed the four Americans before Navy Seals could reach the yacht to intervene.

At least four of the pirates were killed, and 15 were taken hostage in one of the bloodiest pirate episodes in modern history.

The situation began to intensify over the weekend when American warships began to trail the Quest, a yacht that had been seized by the pirates. There were four Americans on the boat, including two from Southern California.

The ships were later identified as Sterett, which is on its maiden deployment, the destroyer Bulkeley, the cruiser Leyte Gulf and the carrier Enterprise.

On Monday, says the Defense Department, two of the pirates came aboard the Sterett for face-to-face negotiations. They did not leave the ship. Things broke down early Tuesday when the grenade was fired at Sterett, which was 600 yards away. The grenade did not hit the 509-foot warship. Gun fire then broke out on the Quest, and 15 Seals rushed the boat. It is not known which ship the Seals were operating from or whether they're stationed in San Diego or Virginia

The Defense Department says in a news release that, "At 8 a.m. (Tuesday) … a rocket-propelled grenade was fired by the pirates from the Quest toward the Sterett." Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, commander of the Navy's 5th Fleet, says in the release that, “Immediately thereafter, gunfire erupted from inside the cabin of the Quest. Several pirates appeared on the deck of the Quest and moved up to the bow with their hands in the air in surrender.”